One Hundred Names (Special Edition)

into a new pair of Ecco shoes.
    ‘Excuse me?’ Molly replied, her tone harsh as she stood up to the old woman half her height.
    Birdie looked the old woman up and down. ‘Mary O’Hara.’
    The woman sniffed. ‘Fitzgerald. So you’re still alive then.’ She looked Birdie up and down in turn.
    ‘Alive and well,’ Birdie said, straightening up. ‘I assume it is your decision not to give me the money.’
    Josie’s great-grandson looked at them apologetically.
    ‘I’m the authority around here and I say so.’
    ‘It was a valid bet,’ Birdie said firmly. ‘Your father, at least, was a man of his word.’
    ‘And you, it turned out, were not.’ She sniffed again and it was clear there was a lot more going on here than a bet made over sixty years ago.
    ‘I hope this isn’t personal, Mary. That was a long time ago.’
    ‘You broke my brother’s heart. Once broken, always broken. I don’t care how much time has passed.’
    Birdie seemed to pale at this. ‘Is he … how is …?’
    ‘He’s dead,’ Mary snapped, and even the man behind her bristled at how harshly it had been delivered.
    Kitty noticed how Edward held on to Birdie tighter as if she had suddenly lost her power to stand alone.
    ‘Why, did you expect him to be here?’ Mary asked, then laughed, a wheezy thing that turned into a cough. ‘Did you expect him to still be waiting for you? Well, he didn’t, he left, moved on, married, had children, grandchildren.’
    Birdie gave a small but sad smile at that. ‘When did he … pass away?’
    When Mary responded her tone was less harsh but still carried the loathing she felt for Birdie. ‘Last year.’
    Birdie’s face was etched with pain and sadness. Without another word, she turned and left the bookies.
    ‘Well?’ Mary-Rose pounced on her immediately as they stepped outside.
    Kitty shook her head at everyone so they knew not to ask any more questions.
    Birdie seemed disoriented. Both Edward and Kitty looked to Molly for guidance.
    ‘Why don’t we get some fresh air?’ Molly said, taking Birdie’s arm and leading her gently away from the bookies.
    The others decided to go back across the road to the guesthouse and order dinner. It was a cool evening but they chose to sit outside in the beer garden while Edward and Steve filled them in on what had happened and they debated legally what was the right thing. Edward, with his knowledge of the law, and Steve, with his know-ledge of bookies, between them agreed that it was merely a gentleman’s agreement, and while it could be honoured, there was no legal standing for it to be. The mood dropped even more in the group. Feeling frustrated, upset for Birdie and embarrassed that she had taken everyone on this wild-goose chase, Kitty tried to figure out a way to excuse herself from the table. The O’Hara great-grandson from the bookies gave her the perfect excuse as she saw him enter the beer garden and look around the area.
    She left the table to meet him.
    It wasn’t difficult to find Birdie. She was sitting on a bench on the main street staring across at the small school where her father had been the headmaster and only teacher, and the nearby house, which she must have grown up in. Kitty could imagine all the days Birdie spent looking out the window and watching the children playing in the yard, unable to join them as she was sick, or at least thought of as being too delicate to play.
    Kitty joined her on the bench. ‘I’m sorry, Birdie, I didn’t think.’
    ‘Why are you sorry?’ Birdie snapped out of her trance.
    ‘For bringing everyone here, on your trip. I should have known it was a bad idea. This was personal for you. I shouldn’t have intruded.’
    ‘Nonsense. Kitty, I’ve had the most wonderful day. When else can I say I spent the day with four hundred people dressed as eggs?’ she laughed. ‘It’s rare I get invited to go on as many exciting adventures all in one go. The same for all of us. You’ve done something very special for us all, Kitty, don’t forget that. You brought us all together. Nobody is blaming you for when things don’t go our way.’
    Kitty appreciated the kind words but they had no real effect. She felt as though she had let everyone down: no adjudicator for Achar and Jedrek, no winnings for Birdie, though at least the day had been a success for Ambrose.
    ‘Remember, it wasn’t about the money,’ Birdie said, a small smile on her lips, though the argument didn’t sound as credible as the first